


Shadow of the Past

by NewTerran



Category: Naruto
Genre: Abuse of Power, Child Abuse, Civil War, Communing with the Dead, Dubious Morality, Dysfunctional Family, F/M, Gen, Genocide, He's a mess otherwise, Hinata as Tsunade's apprentice, Lost son, Man Made Monsters, Near Death Experiences, OP Fuinjutsu, OP Main Character, Rape/Non-con Elements, Reincarnation, Religious Conflict, Religious Fanaticism, Revenge, Slow Burn, Social Anxiety, War, Wisdom of Past Generations, becoming human, in fights, unintended Family Conflict, unwanted authority
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-10-01
Updated: 2018-10-10
Packaged: 2019-07-23 12:22:02
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con, Underage
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,132
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16158899
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NewTerran/pseuds/NewTerran
Summary: He had been given gifts other would kill for. But for him, it was barely enough to survive. Cast out and abandoned by those that were supposed to raise him and thought dead by what few friends he had, Naruto Uzumaki must survive the harsh wilderness of the Land of Fire and the roaming gangs of bandits that had sprung up after the last war.All the while  Minato Namikaze, Yondaime Hokage of Konohagakure, works frantically to avoid a new war with Kumogakure. He is anxious to find the creature that murdered the ambassador from Kumo. It must have been a creature created by Orochimaru from Uzumaki flesh. For every other possibility is too horrible to bear. Even the idea that his eldest child, his son, survived the attack of the Nine-tails.





	1. A Fateful Reunion

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys! My first work! To be honest, I wrote this because I couldn't sleep and had to get it off my mind. 
> 
> TL;DR, this is my take/version on the Rebuild of a Loving Heart, a Body of Steel fan fiction that has been posted of fan fiction.net. I simply love the premise and the fact that the author gave the Kyuubi a unique power. Like the Bijuu already have...
> 
> I'll try my best but I won't promise anything... first work and all.
> 
> Warning; This prolog takes way half way through what I have intended for the plot. Maybe even later. I'll write the beginning when I have time. Kinda jumping the gun here...
> 
> If this fic interests you, please bookmark it for later or, if you read this when chapter 2 is out, skip straight ahead if you don't want some minor spoilers.
> 
> Once again; if there are any typos or grammatical errors, I apologize. English is not my native language and this is my first work. Please be gentle.

Third day of the fourth month of the five thousand five hundred and sixth year after The Sennin walked the Earth. Land of the Waves. In the woods surrounding Karne Village.

„I strongly advise you to stop.“, was all the dark-haired woman said flatly. „You really have no idea what you are doing.“

Natsumi growled. The young red-haired woman was as hot-headed as her mother and had even less patience. Everything about the woman fifty paces in front of her irritated her.  
From her ageless look, with skin too smooth for age yet eyes that had seen too much to belong to youth to the way she could neither completely sense the woman nor make her view as a danger to her. Everything seemed off to the young Kunoichi. And she did not like it one bit. Better to keep her sword between her exhausted teammates and the stranger. „I will book no insult insult from you, miss! I am Natsumi Uzumaki-Namikaze! The daughter of the Yondaime Hokage! And you will tell me what you are doing this forest? Were you sent by Gato to ambush us?!“

  
„If I were sent here by that toothless worm, you’d be dead already. No. I have come to ask you something and to deliver a message to your teacher.“, the woman chuckled. It infuriated the young Uzumaki. With grating teeth she looked at the visitors face. Recognition flashed in her eyes as she saw the sharp jawline and lilac eyes so typical of a certain clan.

„What is your mission here?“, it wasn’t really the question that threw her off, but the realization who this woman, no, this girl was. Somebody that had been proclaimed dead ten years ago. The older sister of her best friend.  
„Hyuuga Hinata!“, the name rolled off her lips with disuse and disbelieve. She faintly registered the gasps of shock of her companions, but right now she was focused on the girl Konoha had barely went to war over. „You are alive! And well! It is so good to see you! How have you been? We all had thought that you had been…“

A raised hand interrupted her. „We will have to reschedule pleasantries to some other time.“, a mirthless smile, barely pleasant and completely forced. „Well. I guess it is obvious that you were hired by that drunken buffoon Tazuna. Otherwise we’d have met sooner.“ She sighed in annoyance and reached into one of her arm sleeves. Natsumi took a step back before she could think. Not even a second later she released a breath she had not realized she had been holding.  
„Here.“, was all the lost Hyuuga said. „If you keep to what you were hired for, we won’t run into each other until after the work of the Accepted is done. I advise you to keep low. Your brother does not know mercy when he is on Crusade.“ Natsumi blinked.  
Her brother? He was six, how could he…? But before she could ask what had been meant, her childhood friend had disappeared. Dimly she registered the weight of the scroll the Hyuuga had given her.

„What is happening?“, she asked aloud. Unfortunately for her the only person that could answer that question had just left as silently and unseen as she had come.


	2. Chapter 1 - Unremarkable Beginnings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Six years after the attack of the Kyuubi, on the eve of the birthday party of Natsumi Namikaze, the young heir of the Namikaze clan and the children of Hyuuga Hiashi meet a mysterious boy.

Tenth day of the tenth month of the five thousand four hundred and ninety sixth year after the Sennin walked the Earth. Land of Fire. In the streets of Konohagakure no Sato. 

 

It was always strange when celebrations of Life and Death were conducted on the same date. But, it had been the Gods who had decided that October tenth would be such a day and mortals had little choice but to accept it. That it would be date on which the Great Hope of the village, their leaders daughter, would be born and, at the same time, also the date the Kyuubi would shatter their village.

Namikaze Natsumi was too young to understand everything that was happening around her. Her mother gripped her hand uncomfortably, but not hard enough to hurt her. The normally bubbly girl looked at the sombre expression on her mother’s face and was confused. Today was her birthday, so why was everybody so sad?

“Today we mourn all those who had been ripped from us by the hands of the Demon.”, intoned the priest at the head of the procession that was winding down the streets of Konoha. His body was hidden by a voluminous white robe and his face by a mask that resembled the sinister image God of Death himself. His hands were but bone and sinew, but his voice strong enough to carry itself to even the furthest back alleys. “We remember their names and pray that they reach safely the Great River of Rebirth, that they may be washed pure by the Water of Death and rejoin the living in peace.”

A great chorus of names rose from the civilians that lined the streets. By ancient tradition they were barred from following the priest. For, it was told since times immemorial, only those who had awakened the Chakra inside them had the attention of the Gods and as such any hope of helping the dead.

As the priests always said, the impure souls of those who had not would only hinder their beloved from finding peace. Better to let them stumble in the dark, unguided, than let them be weighed down by the burdens of this world.

 

A dozen hundred people dispersed as soon as the procession entered the great plaza at the western end of Konoha. They were those who had the money or were desperate enough to buy access to the great Memorial of the Glorious Martyr. They had been allowed to pray on their own here, but the service of the Head Priest they were not allowed to attend.

Unknown to most foreigners, the faces of the previous Hokage had not be hewn into the cliff that made up Konoha’s western border to stand vigil over the village itself, but to serve as tombs and guide the spirits of those who had died in service to the village into the afterlife.

At the lower end of the mile high cliff, a wall of sheer granite rose up sixty feet into the air and stretched 5 miles to each side from the Tomb of the Shodaime. Engraved on it were prayers to the Gods and the names of everybody who died for the village.

“It was said, that Hashirama, blessed be he, for he sits at the right of the Sage of the Six Paths himself, chose this place for his city because of this here stone.”, the voice of the priest had turned hoarse from shouting for the past six hours and now surrounded each of the attending Shinobi as if he was talking to him in person. Standing in a raised pulpit that had been washed into the stone by Tobirama Senju, the Nidaime Hokage, so that everybody could view the priest in his deathly glory, his voice was amplified by seals as ancient as the village.

“It records the names of all those Heroes who gave their lives for our great village and even after four generations, three wars with our cowardly neighbours and the Shattering, our great Founders foresight still secures a place on this blessed memorial for generations to come. May they be as fortunate as we and may they be watched over by the Heroes as we are.”

Natsumi felt something warm and wet hit her hair. As tradition dictated she, as every child her age did, stood in the arms of her mother and gazed up at the priest. She dared the affront and looked up. Her mother was crying openly. Many of those gathered here were, for each of them now allowed themselves to freely and openly remember those they had lost. They allowed all the pent-up sadness and tragedy to pour out, so that they could focus on their tasks without distraction when they returned to their regular lives.

Her head snapped back to the front when she heard her name being called.

“Namikaze Natsumi! Daughter of our great leader Namikaze Minato and the clan-head of the Uzumaki clan of Konohagakure, Uzumaki Kushina! Step forward and receive the blessing that befits the one that was key in the Demon’s defeat. May the Gods guide you so that you will avenge everyone that the Demon killed. May you receive their strength and talent. May you reach the heights you and your brother had been born for.”, the priest raised his arms, thrust out his skeletal arms and cried. “May the eyes of the Sennin rest upon you favorably!”

Her mother took her shoulders and led her forward through the chorus of “Our savior!” and “May He cast His favor upon you!”. Everything Natsumi would remember would be overwhelming fear, swirling questions and cold hands that poured water over her that was cold enough to come from the grave itself.

 

Gold and red and blue and green and white lights filled the night sky. The city had moved on from the silent worship of the dead and now reveled in its celebration of the Living and their future. The center of these celebrations was the sixth birthday of their Hokage’s daughter, Namikaze Natsumi.

“It is actually quite impressive how many important people are here.”, his wife smiled at him cheekily. “Not only the Clan Heads and Elders of the most important clans of Konoha and its allies, the High Priests of the various Temples of the Land of Fire and many important nobles and merchants but also the Daimyo of half a dozen countries and two times as many of the best warriors of the Elemental Nations.”

“Yes. That is quite impressive. Unfortunately none of them are here to celebrate her birthday.”, Minato sighed. “The priests are behaving like glorified peacocks and flaunt their retinue to their  _ esteemed _ colleagues. The various Samurai and free-lance Shinobi gathered here all belong to the Alliance and are using this celebration to plan their next move against the bandit tribes in the depths of the mountains of the Land of Lightning. All the while the various Daimyo debate what may have caused the missing members of their  _ glorious cast _ not to attend and what should, in consequence, be done against them.”

He paused for a few seconds, scanning the crowd.

“Well, all except that man from the Land of Snow. He and our… eccentric weapon smith from the R&D department have plundered the buffet and are now outside discussion Kami-knows what!”

His wife chuckled softly. She was a head shorter than he, but her presence was just as commanding as his. Her upbringing had been vastly different from his. He had been brought up by his elderly parents in a farming village many miles away from any larger village and had been sent to Konoha when a passing Shinobi noticed his potential.

She had been raised in what had once been the political centre of the world and now just mountains of rubble and fields of the dead. She had been sent here for a clear purpose.

“You look happy.”, she clarified and leaned against him. “I can understand why though. Our clan is becoming stronger. Jiraya-sensei has found another Uzumaki-family in the Land of Rice. A girl named Karin with a very peculiar healing ability and parents that are strong enough to display their blood red hair openly.”

She smiled broadly. “And, most importantly, our family is finally safe. We have seen neither hair nor cloak from the masked man and the conflict with Kumo is getting solved. Our alliance with the Hyuuga, the Uchiha and the other clans is making our political position unassailable. Why, if the sale of the seals and the wares of our allied clans continues the way it does, in a few decades, Konoha will replace Taiyou as the capital of the Land of Fire.”

Minato pulled his wife flush against his chest. Such an open display of affection would most likely be frowned upon, but as his wife had said; he was the undisputed rules of Konoha. For now.

“You should watch your mouth, my beloved wife. If I didn’t know any better, I’d think you were talking of sedition!”, he spoke in a serious voice, but the glint in his eyes betrayed his humor. “But in all seriousness, everything is not as rosy as it might seem right now. We are safe, for now, but I won’t allow myself to relax until we have that Masked Madman in chains and on the chopping block. The same with Orochimaru. And that Akatsuki organization.”

He sighed deeply.

“I also fear what the Civilian Council is up to. Tobirama-sama may have been right in his action of granting the most powerful merchants and guilds a voice in our economic affairs, but I sometimes get the impression that they forget themselves and greedily desire ever more power. Maybe the priests were right all along. Maybe people not able to use chakra really are more short sighted.”

Kushina turned in his embrace so that the two were facing each other. Smoothing his clothes she simply said. “Don’t worry, my love, no matter what kind of weapon Higarashi-san’s research produces and no matter if the Land of Snow offers it’s more advanced Chakra Armor for sale, we will not allow them to win. Now enough of that politicising! We have a party to enjoy!”

 

The girl whose birthday was being celebrated had long since fled from the crowded hall. She was used to crowds and being the centre of attention by now, but every situation she had been in before had been different from that experience of a room full of hawks.

She was skipping along a low stone wall, pulling a dark haired boy behind her and trying to keep up with that boys older sister.

Hinata Hyuuga was about a year older than both her brother Inra and Natsumi. Despite being only seven years old and having been held up as the heir of the Hyuuga, it seemed as if her brother had gotten every shred of talent and confidence she did not receive.

Tonight however, she was the one pulling the normally more dominant members of their group along. Leading the group towards the outskirts of the clan compound as if a deamon was nipping at her heels.

“Hey sis, wait up!”; her brother cired in indignation after he had tripped for the sixth time. “Why are you in such a hurry? And why did you take so much food with you? Is this about your problem with people mother talked about?”

His sister spared him but a glance huffed in indignation. “I already told you that a friend of mine is waiting for us and that we are  _ late _ ”, she replied impatiently.

Rounding around a corner she let out a sigh as she spotted a small garden nestled against the ten feet high stone wall that marked the end of Uzumaki territory. Running to the middle of it she formed a cylinder around her mouth with her hands and shouted into the night. “I am sorry we are late! I know I promised to be here earlier, but I got more food?”, she offered apologetically.

Inra set down next to the tree near the wall and leaned against it. “Well, it seems as if your friend has abandoned us. Who is that person anyway that he can’t enter this compound?”, he asked and began to tease his downtrodden sister. “I don’t think father will approve of this. But who even knows who we might be outside of those already here? Was it a monkey? Are you friends with a monkey, sister? How did you even make it understand it that it was supposed to come here tonight?”

His sister turned to glare at him, tears making her eyes glisten in the moonlight. Before Inra could open his mouth, he saw his older siblings expression turn from confusion to elation and happiness.

So fixated upon his now approaching sister he didn’t even notice the soft thud as something or rather somebody landed next to him. A voice speaking up next to his ear made him jump up faster than he ever had in training.

“You… should know… that… even a small monkey… could kill you.”, the voice was hoarse from disuse, but made him sound as if he were about their age. His appearance belied that.

Standing a good head taller than all of them, the blond haired boy was clothed in a dark wolf pelt that seemed to have belonged to an animal the size of a horse. What might have once been part of the forelimb of a praying mantis the same size hang from his belt and various knives and other bladed weapons were strapped on his person, each and every one of them notched, rusted in places and nicked.

“Naruto!”, Hinata exclaimed happily. “I’m so glad you could come! These are the people I wanted you to meet! This is brother Inra and this is my best friend Natsumi! Did you know that today is her birthday?”

Natsumi and Inra exchanged disbelieving looks. Neither of them could remember the indigo haired girl ever being so lively. Inra backoned her closer to him.

“He is that boy that saved her from those playground bullies a while back. He didn’t have those furs back then, nor those weapons. Or those scars.”, he risked a quick glance and caught his breath when he saw the boy stare him right in the eyes.

“That… was me.”, the boy said, still struggling to put words together properly. “I… met her again… later. She… invited me for food”

Natsumi grinned and handed him the bag Hinata had packed for him. “The best we have to offer!”, she boasted.

The boy, Naruto, she reminded herself, considered her for a few seconds then reached into his coat and pulled out a fist-sized crystal. “Happy Birthday, is it?”, he sounded sure of himself for the first time since they met him. As if he now knew what to say. He turned around and bowed to Hinata. “I will savor the meal. Thank you. Unfortunately I have to leave now. I will see you all again.”

Not even taking a single step for leverage, he vaulted over wall and disappeared into the night. A small sound escaped from their mouth, something somewhere between disbelief and awe.

 

Not even a second later a weasel masked ANBU appeared a few steps behind them and stared at them with onyx colored eyes. “Who was that boy?”, he asked, in lieu of greeting.

  
  
  



End file.
